The Yellowstone-verse is expanding in a big way this December in the form of a brand new prequel spinoff that will be completely devoid of cell phones, luxury and dependably comfortable lodgings. The most proficient western-ly actor in the business, Sam Elliott, shares the screen with a stacked cast including country music mega-stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the upcoming streaming series 1883, which has at last unveiled its first teaser trailer, which is filled with gunslinging action across a range of wild frontiers. Plus our first look at guest star Billy Bob Thornton.
Much of what happens in 1883's trailer above is seen, rather than heard, which is probably the result of some unfinished sound mixes combined with clever planning. The narration definitely sets the scene a little more coherently than if viewers would have just heard all of the screaming, sobbing, shooting, explosions and other chaos that occurred during the minute-long video. I wonder how many mics they put into Tim McGraw's gloriously filthy James Dutton beard, because that sucker is loud.
Considering the spinoff drama has only been filming (on a reportedly epic scale) in Texas for a few months now, it's awesome to see just how much footage could be put together for this first look. We've got Sam Elliott's Shea Brennan, leader of the country-crossing wagon-group, walking away from a massive house fire in a way that implies he was responsible for it. We see him pistol-whooping someone across the face. We even get Flashback Elliott during a few looks into Brennan's war days. It kinda looks like 1883 is going for the vibe of Dances with Wolves mixed with Legends of the Fall and a few other '90s movies, and I'm all the way here for it.
Especially since this will give Yellowstone fans an extended look back at how James and Margaret Dutton came across their expansive ranch and started the family's Montana legacy, despite their story starting much farther south. (Of course, Yellowstone fans may have gotten another look at Tim McGraw's character during the actual Season 4 premiere, but no spoilers here.) James Dutton looks like he'll be quite handy with the steel — I definitely meant to mention Young Guns above — although perhaps not good enough with it to keep Faith Hill's Margaret Dutton from screaming in fear.
People are definitely going to die on this journey, after all. And we're still only aware of a small portion of the Dutton's family tree, with some of the 1883 cast still presumably being kept under wraps until closer to premiere. Although we do know we'll be seeing John Dutton Sr. and Isabel May's Elsa Dutton.
1883 will tell the Dutton family's origin story when the Yellowstone prequel debuts on Paramount+ on Sunday, December 19, with the series premiere also simulcasting on Paramount Network after that week's new episode of Yellowstone proper. Check those out along with everything else that has yet to debut on the 2021 Fall TV schedule!
